Hi Sylvia,
I think the other point is that those young amateurs are not existing SOTA activators or chasers (maybe they will be after this experience - maybe not). So if you weren’t to enter all the contacts made, the other operators probably would not. While it is not neccessary for a SOTA activator to enter contacts made, it is nice to have them in the database so that a chaser can check he made a valid contact.
This is a special case, I don’t think there is one “right answer” but I believe what you have done is the most logical.
I suppose this was actually the only feasible way of logging the contacts. It would have been far too complicated for each of them to open an account and log those few QSOs individually.
I can live with this solution.
GREAT GREAT GREAT VIDEO!! This is the kind of publicity that Amateur radio needs to present to youth - this video was great because it was all about SOTA but all of the other activities at YOTA which have been very professionally recorded are definitely worth viewing and promoting as well.
Great job to all behind YOTA in Austria, you’ve set a high standard to meet for the organisers of YOTA 2017 in the UK (I believe).
73 Ed.
P.S. there appeared to be TWO delegations from Germany - one from Bavaria and one from the rest of Germay is that right? have we had a BYEXIT and no one said anything? Joking apart, A great number of countries involved, I saw there was participation from the USA, perhaps Australia and New Zealand could send attendees next year?
I was not involved in the organisation of this year’s YOTA but as far as I know it’s mainly an IARU Region 1 Event with other regions being invited as well. I suppose it’s only a matter of funding…
There was only one German delegation but maybe the majority of the participants was from Bavaria (I suppose you were hinting at the fact that they hung up the German AND the Bavarian flag ) ???
YES, it was definitely a very successful event!
Yes, in two sections of the video a team with the Bavarian flag and another team with the national German flag could be seen. All in fun - they were all having a great time.
I was particularly interested in seeing an Arrow II antenna being used at one point - it can be seen at 02:17 in the video - and how it’s being supported on a tripod, since I’ve just purchased one of these antennas (as replacement for one that went missing) and was thinking along very much the same kind of lines of how to support it. Holding it in the hand while TXing can be tiring after a while…
Hi Rob,
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an adapter that somehow clamps onto the boom and then screws onto a standard, designed for camera base, bolt. So with a camera tripod with a ball-head on it you can adjust horizontal and vertical direction easily. I can’t remember if what I saw was a commercial product or something an amateur had machined up. I’ll see if I can find it again on the web, it was some time ago.
I think the principal was you set the elevation to a compromise position and then turned the antenna as the satellite passed. Not perfect but probably better than hand-held.
the trouble with all-metal adapters in certain configurations is that the radiation pattern of the antenna could be compromised. This is especially the case, as you will no doubt be aware, when using the antenna for terrestrial FM contacts (with, e.g. a handheld TRX), where the antenna elements need to be vertically-aligned: the tripod neck and legs are also vertically-aligned. Using some kind of non-conducting support (as in the video) to raise the antenna away from the tripod then makes sense.
OK, understood. I guess in the case of use for satellites however having the tripod metal behind the reflector of both the 2m and 70 cm antennas should be less of a problem.
Great little (light) antenna in any case. I used to have two of them, now only one. If I decide to do any VHF activations that’s probably the antenna I would grab to take with me.
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